I Have No Intention Of Training The Male Leads - Chapter 7 Part 1

07. Hunting Competition Begins (1)

Translated by: ???????

TL Note:

Hello~

I know you guys have been wondering why there’s no update for a while. Unfortunately my fellow TLs who’s translating along with me, are caught up with IRL stuff for a moment, and I think I’m the only available one. I can only TL this once a week, but I’ll try to TL a couple more, until my fellow Translators are free. 

Thank you for the understanding. ???

***

A maid who was far away threw a pebble into the sky.

As the faint sound of the pebble hitting the ground echoed, Eve’s new sword shot out like an arrow.

The jet-black blade of a sword swiftly plunged towards Margaret’s throat.

Margaret lightly blocked it, and then parried the incoming top slash again.

It was a good combo.

Clang, clang, clang!

Three or four quick, and crisp more clangs were heard, then their bodies finally drew a distance.

Margaret’s powerful kick swept across Eve’s body, leaving a small gap.

Eve, who had distanced herself from the wind pressure created by her stone-like legs, took a swivel of the sword and got back into position.

This time, with a little more caution, she lowered her posture and began to narrow the distance between them little by little, lightly hovering around Margaret.

She still had some of her former hunting habits, but Margaret didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s getting dark.”

“Yep, yep. I’m going in!”

Eve, who had been carefully timing her attack, kept her shout short and burst into Margaret’s arms like lightning.

Her short stab, followed by a smooth, sharp slash, left a blue trail that blurred Margaret’s vision.

She would launch an attack every once in a while, and it was so fast that even Margaret missed it. It would burst out from the edge of the blade like a burst of flame.

Eve’s frame, though not bad, was not that of a natural swordswoman, but her sense of combat could only be described as divine.

Her sharp judgement was like that of a seasoned swordsman who had walked the tightrope of death dozens and hundreds of times.

It could hardly be attributed to a novice who had only held a sword for two years.

What’s even more remarkable is that Eve was able to hone her sword and become attuned to its aura in such a short period of time.

Of course, this was an accomplishment based entirely on her previous life experiences, but Eve made it seem as if she was able to tune into the aura while Margaret was instructing her.

Eve, who had already spent a long time learning how to move her body, had greedily absorbed the essence of Margaret’s swordsmanship, which she had spent a lifetime learning and refining.

She was like a dry towel greedily absorbing water.

In that sense, Margaret was forced to recognize her as a genius.

“Faster, move your black sword!”

“Here we go again!”

Eve was a hunter in her previous life, she was used to following her instincts and biting at her opponent’s leash.

Margaret had hammered and polished her to make her seem like a plausible knight.

Her swordplay was a product of Margaret’s hard work— It was beautifully refined and as fast as lightning.

Margaret, who had been parrying Eve’s blade weakly, suddenly shifted her momentum and met Eve’s blade with force.

The intense clash of steel against steel filled the hall, but Eve didn’t falter and quickly recovered her fallen position.

She was a far cry from the weak, wobbly woman she had once been.

Her remarkable growth with such decent physical qualities was purely due to the fact that she never missed a day of training.

Eve was a clever person who could objectively assess her condition and make the best of it, and Margaret was very pleased with her efforts.

Margaret swallowed a satisfied laugh in her throat, and her expression was stern.

Eve’s sword, which seemed to be biding its time for a long time, lunged forward again with the swiftness of a viper.

It was aiming for Margaret’s lower body, but it suddenly took an unexpected turn and slashed at her upper body from below.

Margaret did not panic. She turned her blade to meet Eve’s and parried it.

But Eve’s blade held no power.

Instead, she glided it up on Margaret’s blade, and swung it upside down.

Margaret’s reaction was a beat too late, and the tip of Eve’s blade seized the opportunity and lunged for the empty stem of Margaret’s neck.

At that moment, Margaret’s new form vanished instantly.

No, it seemed to have vanished.

Margaret rolled her heels, leaped over Eve’s head in a large trajectory as if she were doing a somersault, and slipped her sword towards Eve’s throat.

It was an extremely ridiculous move.

“Ah! There’s no such thing as this! this crazy game’s physics must be broken!”

“You’re talking nonsense again, you little brat.”

“No, it really works? What is it? Tell me, I want to know!”

“Hah. Not by a hundred years.”

Margaret slid her sword into its scabbard, cutting off Eve’s request firmly.

She then admonished her to work on her lower body more, Margaret then slapped her across the thigh with the scabbard.

Eve’s lips quirked-up at her relentless reply.

“By the way, I take it you haven’t succeeded in enchanting your sword with an aura yet?”

“Hmm, well, I did manage to get it somewhat close… It’s not quite as consistent in form as you showed me.”

In her previous life, she could just say the name of the skill and the sword would be enchanted with an intangible energy, but now she had to find a way and learn the trick herself.

She scratched the back of her head as she answered, and Margaret, who had been pondering about something, spoke up.

“Hmm…. Ah, Didn’t you say that you were going to the capital soon?”

“That’s right, they told me that I have to go to attend the National Day celebrations.”

“I wonder if this little tomboy is going to make her debutante.”

“What do you mean debutante? I’m escorting my brother.”

“When you get to the capital, you might meet my son. So, I’ll give you a heads up, you should ask him for some advice on how to train your aura. He’s far more skilled than I am at manipulating auras.”

“Your son? You don’t mean Lord Castel Wittelsbach, do you?”

Eve asked with a look of incredulity on her face.

“No, why are you talking about him, like he’s some random kid from the neighborhood?”

“There’s nothing to lose by meeting him, is there?”

“Well, yes but—”

Margaret finally concluded her tale by telling her that she would do all the talking and that all she needed to do was to meet her son once she reached the capital.

She then continued, while sheathing her sword skillfully in its scabbard, with just one hand.

“I suppose the time has finally come for us to bid our goodbyes.”

“That’s a shame, I think I still have a lot to learn from you, Margaret.”

“If I live, we’ll see each other again.”

“Don’t start raising ominous flags… You said you’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning right? I’ll inform them to pack your lunch.”

Margaret chuckled a little and ruffled Eve’s hair in a friendly way.

Eve, who had grown like a beanstalk during the growing season, was now almost shoulder-to-shoulder with Margaret.

Margaret was taller than most men, which made the whole gesture of her patting her head a little awkward.

“The next time I see you, I’m going to cut off a lock of your hair, Margaret, and you can look forward to it.”

“That sounds like a death threat, I’ll look forward to it.”

The two grinned and shook each other’s hands.

Their firmly interlocked hands shook a couple of times.

Both women felt that this would not be the end.

Winter had already passed, and Eve’s twenty-second spring finally came.

The hunting competition had finally begun.

?

Eve felt the carriage gradually slow down and looked out the window.

The Vermell townhouse loomed over before her. It still looked the same as two years ago.

The carriage finally stopped moving, and before the coachman could open the door of the carriage, Eve had already stepped out.

She then smiled lightly as she held out her hand to Alberic.

“Shall we disembark, gentleman?”

“Ha..”

Alberic sighed heavily, his head was aching, but he took Eve’s hand and stepped out of the carriage with her assistance.

Eve escorted Alberic with great skill, then walked a couple steps behind him.

There was nothing ‘Lady-like’ about her appearance at all.

She was wearing a loose-fitting men’s beige shirt, dark brown vest, and thin brown cotton pants, her hair was pulled back into a tight bun that fell below her shoulders.

She was dressed more like a coachman or a young servant than a young lady. There was a long longsword hanging from her waist, a reminder of why she was dressed that way.

When they reached the front door, a footman opened it for them, and a familiar scene unfolded before their eyes.

The whole scene looked as if it was recorded and replayed from long ago.

There was a row of hired maids greeting them, they were bowing lightly at their arrival.

Eve greeted the stern-looking butler before he could even open his mouth.

“It’s been a long time, Joseph.”

“Welcome back, my lady.”

The seasoned middle-aged man returned her greeting casually, not batting an eyelid at Eve’s rather unconventional attire.

“Joseph. Have the meal prepared at once, and order them to have Evelyn’s luggage unpacked across the hall from my bedroom. Evelyn, follow me for a moment.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Alberic left Joseph with a quick instruction, then dragged Eve with him to his office immediately.

Once inside the neatly organized office, Alberic took a seat on the guest couch off to one side of the room.

Eve sat down across from him, tactfully. She then asked,

“What’s going on?”

“His Highness wants to know about you.”

Alberic said, while pressing a finger to his temple with a pained expression.

“There was a message sent to me to come up to the capital and visit with you, before the Foundation Day banquet begins.”

“Oh….”

“But I’m afraid you won’t be able to get into the palace with these clothes, let alone attend the ladies’ little tea parties.”

“Yeah, well.”

“Women’s dresses aren’t made in a day or two. You have to start preparing for them months in advance, at least. I think I’ve been hinting about it since last year that there’s a Foundation’s Day event coming up, and you’re going to have to explain to me why your closet still looks the way it does.”

“No… I was a little busy getting some last minute aura training and…”

“I shouldn’t have trusted you in the first place. How foolish of me.”

‘Wait… When the hell did he check my luggage?’

Eve avoided Alberic’s gaze that pressed on her like a gaze from the devil.

She tried to rack her brains, but a party dress can’t just suddenly appear out of thin air.

After a while, Eve let out an “Ah!”, then turned towards Alberic.

“Do tailored suits take longer to make?”

“It’s much quicker than a dress.”

“There’s no law that says a woman can’t enter the palace in a man’s dress, is there?”

“Do you mean to tell me that you plan to enter the imperial palace dressed like that, now? I had no choice but to allow you to dress up as a man on a normal basis because you are uncomfortable with wearing a skirt while wielding a sword, but not inside the imperial palace. I’ve never seen such a woman in my life.”

“But last I knew, when Margaret was on active duty, she attended banquets in her knightly regalia?”

“That would be a special case.”

“Anyway, you’re saying it’s not impossible right? Call for Tailor then, please. We can start with the tailcoat.”

Alberic stared at Eve in astonishment, but her stubbornness was too much for him, and he let out a long, drawn-out curse and finally resigned himself.

Alberic no longer has the heart to force his will on her.

He could only imagine the stories the capital’s storytellers would tell about this.

“Go ahead. Do as you please.”

“I’ll just have to tell Joseph about it, thank goodness, we’re finally able to come up with a solution.”

Eve laughed loudly, fanning Alberic’s headache even more.

Not wanting to argue anymore, he waved her off with a wave of his hand.

Eve chuckled, waved him goodbye, and left the office.

‘Right. I’m going to wear a pantsuit, and I’m going to destroy the crown prince’s route. Gee, I’m the one who came up with that, but it’s still a perfect idea.’

The Foundation Day Banquet event, held in the main hall of the Glorious Palace where the Emperor resides, is an event that appears early before the hunting competition begins.

The fact that it was a banquet rather than a ball made it a bit unique, so even though it was held so early in the competition, I still remember it vividly.

I managed to write down a rough timeline and major events of the game, in a small notebook before my memory began to fade, but while some of the smaller details had already been blown away beyond the realm of perception, the Foundation’s Day Banquet was still one of the more vividly remembered events.

?